Page 21 of Love Me Again

“Maybe, if I’d never lost your father, I might be able to understand. But I would have taken care of anything and everything if it had kept him here on this earth. And I didn’t exactly have a nice childhood myself. So, no, Boone, I understand that you had your reasons, but I think you were wrong to walk away.”

Boone shook his head. He should have known he’d get nothing here. He should have known he didn’t ever make the right choice. Or whatever his version of right was, his family never could understand. He should have known⁠—

“Let me ask you something very simple. Do you love her?”

He blew out a breath. He could lie, but what would be the point? Mom either already saw through him or would. “Yeah.”

“Then you’re going to have to fight for her, Boone. Not run away. A mistake only stays one if you never make the effort to fix it.”

Fight. He’d once considered himself quite the fighter. But not for anything. Just for the sake of fighting, hurting, causing some damage to match all the damage he felt inside.

He didn’t want to damage Josie any more than he already had, but God, how he’d missed her.

And… The thing was, Mom and Shane knew what to do. They knew how to make a life right. He’d never listened to them before because he’d never wanted to make things right.

For Josie… “I think… I think I need help with that.”

Mom’s smile bloomed. “Well, you came to the right place.”

CHAPTER 8

Josie had been stuffed after Deb had plied her full of French toast, and instead of planning her escape like she should, she’d simply laid down on the couch and fallen asleep again.

She woke up to a dying fire, a little drool on her face, and a wave of embarrassment that she was just so incredibly pathetic.

She was at her soon-to-be ex-husband’s family’s ranch, getting fed and taken care of by all these strangers who were not hers, and would not be hers, and it was insanity to be here. She needed to get out.

A knock sounded at the door before she got off the couch. She scowled at it. “I will not let another Tyler sweep in here and make me a meal,” she muttered to herself. “No matter what.”

But when she opened the door, Molly stood there. She was empty-handed. If anything, she looked vaguely worried, even as she smiled at Josie in greeting.

“Hey, do you have a minute?”

“Um…” Josie genuinely didn’t know how to answer that. She had nothing but minutes because she was stuck in this snowed-in world of the Tylers, and even if she wasn’t, what would she be doing?

“Boone said you’re a vet,” Molly said when Josie didn’t answer.

“Well, yes. Sort of. I’m not licensed in Colorado though.”

“But you could still check on my horse and tell me I’m not overreacting, couldn’t you? I tried to call our normal vet, but he didn’t answer, and he wouldn’t be able to come out in this anyway.”

Josie wanted to resist, just to keep her nose out of all things Tyler, but… She could hardly resist a potentially sick horse. “All right, but I can’t officially diagnose anything or prescribe anything.”

“Well, hopefully it’s nothing, and I don’t need you to do any of those things.” Molly beamed a smile her way.

Josie only grimaced. “Let me get my coat. And my…tools.” They were Dad’s instruments. His bag. Josie had sold hers in a fit of something like grief and pain and idiocy.

She hadn’t been able to get rid of Dad’s though. So they’d made the trek to Colorado with her.

She gathered up the bag, got her coat, and the borrowed snow boots, then followed Molly out into the bright blizzardy world. The only thought in her head a loop of: What are you doing?

They climbed into the UTV, and then Molly drove her across snowy fields toward the stables. Josie didn’t see signs of anyone else over this way, but still she was braced. To see Boone. To have to interact with him.

Molly parked the vehicle in front of a huge stable building, led her inside. There were only horses and Molly. Josie knew she shouldn’t let her guard down, but…

The familiar smells and sounds of horses eased some of the tightness in her shoulders. She’d missed animals these past difficult six months of trying to get her life in order. She’d missed her work. She’d missed a lot of things.

Molly led her to a stall, then opened the stall door. “This is Bodine.”